Queen of Ice 🏆
Author: Devika Rangachari Publisher: Duckbill About the book: Despised by her father and bullied by his heir, Didda’s childhood is miserable and her future, bleak. When she is married off to the dissolute ruler of Kashmira, she must learn to hold her own in a court ridden with factions and conspiracies. But Didda is no […]
Year of the Weeds 🏆
Author: Siddhartha Sarma Publisher: Duckbill Books and Publications Pvt Ltd About the book: ‘Sometimes, Korok, it is best if the sorkar forgets you.’Korok lives in a small Gond village in western Odisha. His life is in the garden which he tends every day. Anchita lives in the house which has the garden and is an […]
When Morning Comes
Author: Arushi Raina Publisher:Tradewind Books About the book: Its 1976 in South Africa, and four young people are living in Johannesburg and its black township, Soweto: Zanele, a black female student organizer; Meena, a South Asian girl working at her father’s shop; Jack, an Oxford-bound white student; and Thabo, a teen-gang member, or tsotsi. From […]
This is Me, Mayil
Author: Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran Publisher: Tulika Publishers About the book: Fiercely fun, madly morose and prone to spontaneous combustion — this is Mayil Ganeshan at Not Yet Sixteen. Much like before. But edgier. Older and bolder, the unstoppable ‘Mayilwriter’ rants in rhyme, ponders in verse, and doodles in between. For every moment of […]
Pashmina
Author: Nidhi Chanani Publisher: Macmillan US About the book: A heartfelt young adult graphic novel about an Indian-American teen’s attempt to reconnect with her mother’s homeland through a magical pashmina shawl.Priyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most […]
Indira | NBA Honour
NBA 2019 Honour Book | Young Adult Author: Devapriya Roy Illustrator: Priya Kuriyan Publisher: Context About the book: In a government school classroom in Delhi, young Indira Thapa is set an unusual assignment by her favourite teacher: to write an essay around her name. Who was Indira Priyadarshini, the person after whom her grandfather named […]
Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush
Author: Anita Vachharajani Illustrator: Kalyani Ganapathy Publisher: Harper Children’s About the book: Anita Vachharajani and Kalyani Ganapathy An artist? A dreamer? A rebel? Who exactly was Amrita Sher-Gil? She was a little bit of all these things, really. Amrita grew up with a great sense of mischief and adventure in two very different worlds, in […]
A Match Made in Mehendi
Author: Nandini Bajpai Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers About the book: Fifteen-year-old Simran “Simi” Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole — matchmakers — with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family […]
The Prince 🏆
Author: Samhita Arni Publisher: Juggernaut About the book: The famous dancer Madhavi is at the court of the chera king for a grand performance. The kingdom first son, shenguttuvan – The crown prince of the cheras – is getting ready for his engagement to a velir princess. There is celebration in the air. But when […]
The Lies We Tell
Author: Himanjali Sankar Publisher: Duckbill Books About the book: Seventeen-year-old Irfan Ahmed is handsome, easy-going and deeply in love with his girlfriend, Uma. However, when Uma dumps him for his best friend, Rishi, Irfan’s life begins to unravel.Things haven’t been good at home ever since his sister left. And soon, they get worse. He stops […]